Portable sitz bath



Dec. 13, 1938.

c. D. GASTON ET AL 2,139,951

PORTABLE SITZ BATH Filed NOV. 2, 1957 .2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g mun!!! l.

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w anew- 4 Dec. 13, 1938. l c GASTON EFAL 2,139,951

PORTABLE SITZ BATH Filed Nov. 2, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z2 15 W122 Z). Moom.

Patented Dec. 13, 1938 UNETED PORTABLE SITZ BATH Cecil D. Gaston and William D. Moore, Birmingham, Ala.

Application November 2, 1937, Serial No. 172,422

10 Claims.

This invention relates to sitz baths and among other objects, aims to provide an improved portable sitz bath which has unusual features of construction contributing to the safety and com- -5 fort of the patient and the convenience of the Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the improved sitz bath comprises a base In which is preferably made of enameled cast iron or of some highly polished metal whose surface is easily kept clean and sanitary. The base I is adapted to support the basin or tub H in which the patient sits, and is in turn supported by casters l2, l3,preferably three in number, two of the casters l2 being at the forward end of the base and the third caster [3 being swivelled at the rear end of the same, as best shown in Fig. 3. Preferably all three casters have rubber tires or treads, as indicated, so that they may be rolled noiselessly over hospital floors and corridors. At its rear end the base i0 is formed with a vertical socket It which receives the swivel pin I5 of the caster I3. Centrally the base It, which is crowned or elevated relative to its edge, as shown, is provided with an aperture l6 bordered by an integral down-turned flange ll. The basin or tub sits directly over the aperture Hi and has a pair of perforated ears l8 through which hook bolts I9 are passed, said hook bolts having special washers 2% formed with grooves 2| for receiving the edge of the down-turned flange l1. Ordinarily nuts 22 are threaded on bolts I9 and bear against the special washers and thus tighten the special washers against the edge of flange I! and secure the basin ll on base I!) by means of cars l8. Instead of this construction,

' the base l0 may be integral with the basin, as 50 will be understood without illustration. The basin I I is provided with a drain outlet 23 which may be plugged with a rubber stopper (not shown) when water is to be placed in the basin for a bath.

To provide a convenient member which may be grasped by the patient when getting into and out of the tub, a frame is provided consisting of a generally U-shaped pipe or tube 24, said tube surrounding the basin on three sides and lying generally horizontal and being shaped to conform to the curvature of the rearwardly inclined back rest i l of the tub. Studs or rivets 24 may secure the U-shaped tube 2 5 to. ears 24 depending from the rim of the tub. At its forward ends, the U-shaped tube 24 is secured by pipe fittings 25 to a pair of upright tubes 26 comprising standards. Obviously the tubing 24, 26 may be chromium plated or otherwise made ornamental, to

improve the appearance of the bath. The upper ends of the standards 25 are capped with ornamental knobs 2? which, besides enhancing the appearance of the sitz bath, serve the useful function of providing hand grips which the patient may grasp when lowering himself into the tub and when rising out of the same.

The lower ends of the standards 26 are secured to the forward arms Iii of the base HI, said arms being formed by providing the forward end of said base with a re-entrant portion or recess indicated at It This re-entrant portion is very desirable because it permits the patient closely to approach the basin or tub before he sits in it and eliminates all sense of fear when using the bath. Instead of the tub and frame connections, described above, another upright tube might be joined by a T to tube 2d at the middle of its curved rear portion, and also might be connected to the tub base above roller E3 in the same manner as the standards 26.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the standards 26 provide swivel supports for a pair of foot rests. 28 which are adapted to swing freely horizontally about the axes of standards 26 between the positions shown in full lines in Fig. 2 and the positions indicated in dotted lines. The foot rests each have outer flanges 2t against which the sides of the patients feet may press, so that he will not lose his footing. A pair of lugs 29 formed on collars 30 which are integral with the casting It serve as stops to prevent outward swinging of the foot rests 28, which would be very undesirable as the foot rests would undoubtedly strike against various articles if they were allowed to project laterally beyond the confines of the bath. Instead of a swivel mounting for the foot rests, they may be hinged by conventional hinges (not shown) to the standards 26. As the patient takes his place in the bath his feet will readily locate the foot rests and he will then be able to swing them into the positions most conducive to comfort.

When the patient gets in or out of the bath, a pedal-operated brake 3|, operating on the axle 32 of the rear caster l3 by means of the cam action of screw thread 33 and the disk 34 (Fig. 5) obviates movement of said caster, and because of the friction of the rubber treads of the casters prevents any movement of the bath, thus obviating accidents.

The described sitz bath is strictly sanitary, is easily moved in and out of the patients room, and permits the patient, while standing on the floor, to sit down in a perfectly natural way and be comfortable in the tub before removing his feet from the floor. This is a great advantage when a patient uses the bath, as ordinarily most patients using the crude equipment formerly available lose their sense of balance and confidence. Furthermore, the bath is so designed that it may be drained easily. Ordinarily most of the bath water is siphoned off, but some must be drained, and cleansing fluids must be drained too. At such times a pan (not shown) is inserted from the front, under the raised edge 1, which may be as much as eight inches off the floor, making possible the use of a pan of adequate capacity.

Obviously the present invention may be embodied in several forms neither described nor shown.

Having described and shown one embodiment of our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

l. A portable sitz bath comprising a wheeled support having an aperture in its upper, central portion; a tub or basin of proper shape and size to receive the buttocks and thighs of a patient and removably mounted on the support above the aperture; means adjacent the edges of said aperture to clamp the tub to the support; a framework secured to and extending above the support and surrounding said tub so as to provide convenient hand holds and arm rests for the patient.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the framework comprises two vertical standards secured to one end of the support, and a U- shaped tube embracing and directly attached to the rim of the tub and secured at its ends to the two standards.

3. In a sitz bath, the combination of a base having a. re-entrant portion at one end; a pair of foot rests at said end mounted to swing horizontally, said foot rests being above the bottom of the base and at either side of the re-entrant portion; and a tub or basin clamped on the base and removable therefrom, said tub or basin having substantially its entire body back of the reentrant portion of the base.

4. In a portable sitz bath, the combination of a base; a tub or basin on the base; two casters beneath the forward end of the base, and a single caster swivelled on the rear end of the base;

and a brake on the rear, swivelled caster to secureit against rotation, thereby to prevent travel of the bath.

5. A sitz bath comprising, in combination, a base; a tub or basin set on top of the base and secured thereto; and a frame secured to the base comprising a pair of standards and a U-shaped member secured at its ends to the standards and lying substantially at right angles to the standards; said tub or basin being secured at at least two points to the U-shaped member, which is wholly outside of the tub or basin; said standards being at one end of the base and being spaced well apart.

6. The invention according to claim 5, wherein there are a pair of foot rests swivelled on the standards at their lower ends, and means are provided to limit the outward swing of said foot rests.

'7. In combination with a base having a reentrant portion at the front end forming two integral arms at either side of the re-entrant portion, a tub on top of and clamped to the base; a pair of foot rests pivoted above the ends of said arms to swing horizontally into and out of the re-entrant portion; and hand holds on either side of the tub, supported from the base.

8. The invention according to claim 4 wherein the base has a re-entrant portion at the front end forming two integral arms at either side of the re-entrant portion; and two casters being located directly beneath the outer ends of the arms and the third caster being swiveled to the base at the opposite or rear end and at a point within the medial axis of the base.

9. In combination with a base having a reentrant portion at the front end, and two arms at either side of the re-entrant portion; a pair of fixed vertical standards rising from the outer ends of the arms; a horizontal U-shaped member secured to the standards near their upper ends and lying to the rear of the standards; and a tub set on said base and secured thereto; said U-shaped member embracing the tub; said reentrant portion extending sufiiciently far inwardly to bring it beneath the forward portion of the tub, to facilitate entering the tub from the floor on which the base rests.

10. In a sitz bath, the combination of a tub or basin having a drain outlet, and a base to which the tub is removably clamped; said base being'crowned so that the major portion is much higher than its edge, thereby affording room beneath the base for a vessel to receive the drainage of the tub; the forward end of the base having its edge raised so that such a vessel may be slid in under said raised edge; said base also having a re-entrant portion at its forward end, said re-entrant portion extending sufiiciently far inwardly to bring it beneath the forward portion of the tub.

WILLIAM D. MOORE. CECIL D. GASTON. 

